Steampunk is an interesting and often amusing genre of RPG or fiction, and it has given rise to a wide range of mods for clothing and random technological items. I am a big fan of steampunk, and as such am very excited that this month’s RPG Carnival theme is Steampunk and Klokwerks. Should I ever get my full webcomic running I hope to include elements of steampunk in it, and I recently started work on some fiction/RPG material set in a place known as the Otherwhere. As it is, I thought I’d present some of my ideas for the Otherwhere, as well as a bit about how steampunk will fit into Apocalypticon.

Otherwhere

The Otherwhere is a reality much like our own. So like our own, in fact, that in many places our world and that of the Otherwhere come together. Such places are known as crossroads and they are points of travel between realities. They exist between many planes, not merely ours and the Otherwhere. Some such places are heavenly, full of celestial creatures and peace. Others are…not so nice. Hell, if such a word can adequately encompass the nature of reality, is just on the other side of a crossroads. The crossroads penetrate the Ether, allowing mortal creatures passage between the realities.

The denizens of the Otherwhere have learned how to manipulate the Ether to power great magicks and infernal devices. Magicians ply their wares everywhere from hedges to the great cities, and engineers keep the Otherwhere in motion with their buzzing, grinding, and clanking inventions. The crossroads may be found in places where reality has worn thin, as well as places lost and forgotten. The London Underground has more than one such crossroads, and the hidden forests of North and South America have many more. Some of the Travelers have moved into our world completely and have built pocket realities, most often found in cities near a crossroads. Pocket realities are bits of the world hidden from the naked eye where citizens of the Otherwhere may live, work, and carry out business.

Apocalypticon

In the region once known as the West Coast of the USA and the continent of Australia, steampunk reigns supreme. The West is a strange amalgamation of the Wild West, weird science, and shamanistic magic. Mad scientists experiment with lightning traps and steam power, crafting engines of greater and greater power. Those trained in the traditions of the once-great tribes that were wiped out of the region many decades ago have risen to power once more and challenge the dominance of this new science. Bandits prey on those unable to defend themselves while vigilantes and mercenaries provide protection to them as can afford it.

In Australia, Ned Kelly’s famous armor has inspired a legion of inventors to create steam-powered exoskeletons for the highest bidder. The magic of the aboriginal tribes has waxed powerful once more, and travel through the desert can often be a psychedelic trip through the areas warped by the power of the shamans.